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California State University, Fresno
Division of Graduate Studies
MASTER'S THESIS (299) COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT
Candidate
Date
Local Phone Number (
ID #
)
E-mail address
Estimated graduation date
Semester/Term
The above student has been officially ADVANCED TO CANDIDACY, is in good graduate
standing, and is recommended for Thesis 299 assignment.
Year
Student and thesis committee members have read the attached Thesis Committee Guidelines
and approve the following proposed Thesis 299 topic:
Human Subjects Clearance has been obtained: Yes
Animal Subjects Clearance has been obtained: Yes
Thesis 299 Committee:
Typed/Printed Name Department
No
No
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Signature of Approval
Chair
Member
Member
Review and Approval of Assignment and Planned Thesis Topic:
Signature
Graduate Program Coordinator/Director or Dept. Chair
Signature
College Dean (for Agricultural Sci. & Tech.; Arts and Humanities;
Science and Mathematics)
Review Signature
Thesis Consultant (for Dean, Division of Graduate Studies)
Date
Date
Date
Note: Changes in committee membership or topic require submitting a CHANGE IN MASTER'S
THESIS (299) COMMITTEE AND/OR TOPIC form.
Final Thesis Clearance
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Thesis/Dissertation Committees
Thesis/dissertation committees have an established place in the academic world and play a vital role in the
guidance and direction of graduate student research. One member of the committee, the chairperson, has a
more formal administrative relationship with the student because of the way the university recognizes the
chairperson's responsibilities. On occasion, the roles of the chairperson and the committee members
require clarification.
1.0 Thesis/Dissertation Committee Structure
1.1 Number of Members
1.11 Each master‘s thesis and doctoral dissertation committee shall be composed of a
minimum of three members.
1.12. Under extenuating circumstances (e.g., member‘s death or sudden leave), to be noted
by the graduate program coordinator in a letter to the graduate dean, an individual
student in the final stages of the thesis/dissertation may request to have fewer than
three members on the committee.
1.13 A fourth and/or fifth member may be added to the committee when deemed
appropriate/necessary to provide required expertise.
1.2
Committee Membership
1.21 Two of the three required committee members, including the chair, shall be members
of the Master's Graduate Faculty Group of the student‘s degree program. Only
members of this group are allowed to chair a thesis. In order for a member to chair a
thesis, he/she must have previously served as a second or third member of a thesis
committee (per APM 226-2, III. Criteria for Membership in a Master's Graduate
Faculty Group, par. 3).
The Graduate Group in the program, with the approval of the department, may invite
their Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) faculty members to participate on
thesis/dissertation committees as second or third readers, with the stipulation that they
demonstrate a personal commitment to function in this capacity and that they have
been appointed as members of the consultative body. Graduate faculty members
whose status has been terminated due to retirement or who are in FERP status may
complete outstanding examining committee, thesis committee, and advising
assignments as chair if they wish to do so, but they may not accept new assignments
 The terms Program coordinator and Program director are interchangeable in this document.
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to chair such committees (see APM 226-3, III. Criteria for Membership in a Master's
Graduate Faculty Group, par. 8). Note: In order for the thesis/dissertation committee
to function as required, the program must appoint FERP faculty serving on these
committees as adjunct faculty during each of the academic terms in which they have
inactive status.
1.22 An individual who possesses requisite expertise, but who is not a member of the
department faculty in the student‘s program, may serve as a third reader on a thesis or
dissertation committee with the approval of the department chair. This may include
part-time and adjunct faculty, retired program faculty, faculty from other programs or
universities, and community professionals. In such cases, a curriculum vita of the
individual concerned must accompany the submitted Master‘s Thesis (299)
Committee Assignment form.
1.23 Each graduate program committee may establish additional procedures for the
appointment of thesis committee members. It is recommended that these procedures
be published and be made available to incoming graduate students and new faculty
members.
1.24 The committee chair shall be a faculty member of the graduate faculty from the
student‘s program. A faculty member from another department may assume the role
of committee chair only if eligible for and appropriately appointed as program
graduate faculty (see APM 226) in the student‘s degree program.
1.25 For the doctorate degree, the committee chair must be a member of the Doctoral
Graduate Faculty Group, and possess requisite knowledge and experience in
discipline-based research theory and methodologies at the doctoral level, knowledge
of the requirements for doctoral dissertations in the discipline, and a demonstrated
ability to successfully direct others in research activities. The first time an individual
is being considered as a chair of a doctoral dissertation committee, supporting
documentation must accompany the recommendation through all levels of review (per
APM 227-2, III. Criteria for Membership in a Doctoral Graduate Faculty Group,
par. 6c).
1.26 Each graduate program‘s graduate group should establish a reasonable maximum for
the number of theses an individual faculty member may supervise.
1.27 The department chair should ensure that work of the thesis or dissertation committee
chair is calculated as part of the faculty‘s required regular workload.
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